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Garry Jenkins '88 Installed as Bates College President
Jessica Fiddes

On March 1, 2023, Delbarton alumnus Garry W. Jenkins ’88 was elected president of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine effective July 1, 2023. His formal installation, originally scheduled for late October, had been delayed by the tragic October 25 mass shooting in Lewiston. During the ceremony, a moment of silence for the shooting victims recognized the loss suffered by the local community.

In his Rising Together address, Jenkins said the ceremony “represents exciting beginnings and celebrates some historic firsts. I feel, intensely, the weight and honor of standing before you today, embodying many firsts. In many ways, a rarity in higher education leadership,” he said. “I remember a time, not too long ago, asking, would our nation’s most selective colleges ever be open to a Black president? To an openly gay president? Would that be possible? Was that a dream too big? I am so glad that today, with places like Bates in the world, and with people like those who make up this community, no dream is too big.”

The keys of the office, which represent the passing down of authority through the college’s presidential lineage, were presented by Susan Nattress, manager of the Bates electronic access system, the “keys” of today. Watch the complete inauguration ceremony here

Garry's former Delbarton English teacher Joanna Sanferrare and his classmate Alex Hanna '88 were present for this very special occasion in his life.

Garry Jenkins was born in Newark, New Jersey where he attended public schools through middle school. After four years at Delbarton, and then four years at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, he earned graduate degrees in public policy and law from Harvard University. After graduating from Harvard Law, he served as chief operating officer and general counsel of the Goldman Sachs Foundation. In 2004, he became a dean at Ohio State, and then moved on to serve as dean of the University of Minnesota Law School, the position he held when Bates offered him its presidency.

The Delbarton community salutes Garry Jenkins '88 on his formal installation as President of Bates College.